Cod Liver Oil Controls Cholesterol

Q. I was saddened to read about people suffering the side effects of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs. In less than a year, I have lowered my cholesterol 30 points by doing nothing but take fish oil. I take a tablespoon of cod liver oil a day.

Not only does it lower bad cholesterol, it also raises good (HDL) cholesterol. I wish more people knew about this very simple and safe remedy. One friend said it tastes bad, but that’s not true if you take Carlson or Nordic Naturals.

A. The benefits of fish oil are well established. There are more than 10,000 articles on fish oil in the medical literature. Many refer to its ability to lower triglycerides and raise good HDL cholesterol. Fish oil also has anti-inflammatory activity.

For people who cannot tolerate statin-type medications there are many other ways to reduce cardiovascular risk. We discuss them and the value of fish oil in our Guide to Cholesterol and Hearth Health.

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5 Thoughts Shared

Tara

March 26, 2012 at 7:06 am

You should absolutely take cod liver oil to lower your cholesterol–it helped lower mine a lot.
I hate the taste of it, so I take pills–1,000 mg, once in the morning, and once in the evening.
My doctor was so shocked at the change in my levels, he now takes it too. I guess grandma was right :)

gee

March 26, 2012 at 4:56 am

I started taking cod liver oil to lower triglycerides fat and it did help but I noticed my total cholesterol went up a lot… and it also cause me chest pains.. so please be careful when u take cod liver oil to lower triglycerides

Alayna

July 31, 2010 at 10:29 am

My cholesterol is 299 and my triglyceride is 282. I eat right, do vitamins and exercise daily for half my life and now I have a cholesterol problem. I have tried natural remedies, supplements and avoiding wrong foods and my two month re-test was the same.
I cannot do pharmaceuticals. I am a universal reactor. Meds cause me serious side effects as do many vitamins. Until a year ago, I was on Cod Liver Oil for years but I never tested for cholesterol while on it. I only know that nothing I do is lowering my cholesterol. Caynenne Pepper lowered my cholesterol by two points and my triglyceride by 7 months after taking it for two months now.
Should I get back on cod liver oil and continue the cayenne pepper with it? I am concerned that it will take too long to bring it down to a normal range. what do you think?

JCF

October 6, 2009 at 11:53 am

My cholesterol level is very high at 23 (UK recommended level is 4.5 or 2 for people like me (diabetic.) I take 10ml (a dessert spoonful) of cod liver oil every day and my doctor has told me to stop taking it as it may be causing the high readings! I have been put on to a large dose of statins every day.
I thought that the cod liver oil was good at preventing high cholesterol?
PEOPLE’S PHARMACY RESPONSE: OMEGA-3 FATS, SUCH A COD LIVER OIL, ARE ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE AT LOWERING TRIGLYCERIDES, AND MAY ALSO RAISE HDL. THEY ARE NOT QUITE AS EFFECTIVE AT LOWERING TOTAL CHOLESTEROL.

HN

April 20, 2008 at 1:29 pm

I read your article on 4/15/08 and I am asking about Certo. Are you talking about Certo that is used to make jellies? [YES]
I have been on Zocor for 10 years and dr. keeps increasing with so-so results. Have tried other statins and could not tolerate. Always go back to Zocor. Do the 1 glass of red wine, veggies,no red meat, eat lots of fish, etc. and trying to use other methods besides a statin. My weight is fine and I exercise. High cholesterol runs in my family and on both sides.

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